I want to try something: Here's a scene based on a prompt to put my character in a graveyard in the snow: Liam's hair , laden with splinters of ice and snow , stuck out from his low slung cap. His words framed the brittle air as he said, the chill unrelenting, "I never meant to return here , I know I - I promised I'd never look back .that I'd keep living with you as some memory on the edge of glory , but the world is round after all right-I ended up back here anyway". He dug his stiffened hands into his jeans, his boot striking a rock as his own murmur haunted him. "Can't stay long , but , I still remember what real sunsets looked like, the way the colors just bled for miles . I hope you haven't seen this magenta sky. I hope you never know it." His acuity , melting in the atmosphere, left him with no other thoughts. "You rest well, and yeah... I still have it. Always. It's on me right now -" He laughed in spite of his raw sense of regret and turned away from the plot , dusting his knuckles across the slot of cremated ashes in a lingering fist bump. "Again, sometime , brother". Falling leaves , swirling in his mind as he was transported to an autumn gone. "Before then, but you knew that already. " an entire moment passed before Liam fumbled a guitar fret from his pocket, a perfect fit between his index finger and thumb. In a swift gesture, he drove in deep into a crack between two bricks in the wall. "I ... still... I . Just . You can't imagine imagine the things... or the times I've wanted to say, Mace could have played you that one while I ruined the lyrics . Still have the rosewood , too. With all of your fingerprints intact. Damned if I had known you'd find me where you did-or when , and yet I wasn't there to-But hell, you'd never let me take it on my own shoulders. And I won't -for you. It's never gonna be-" Without raising his eyes from his fist, his memories hid between his fingers , slipping away as he flexed his palm. "I only hope you can't see me now , with all this hell in my eyes, with the shadows ... I still remember the light in yours ' Cause I keep my promises, and you're still my oldest friend. First , and the last. Don't you forget it. Just.. don't ever forget that." As Liam turned away, trudging along the icy path that winded through the cemetery , it could have been hours. Days. Months. Or just a few seconds. And it could have been anywhere. Grief only changed shape as he confronted the infused December sky, its witness the only one in sight. As Liam slid down onto the curb, only a few miles from where he'd last seen Ethan, he glanced up at the approaching figure. "Hey, Lara , I haven't seen Eth since..maybe three hours ago. " She dropped to his side, grasping his freezing hand in her own. "Liam, it's cold out here , you're like ice...wait, did you visit Mas--" Her eyes , filled with a silent understanding, flitted to his and back to his hand as she placed it into his lap. "We've both been looking for you, Ethan and I -but I'll tell him you're alright? " Liam , his eyes reddened but dried out with the temperature, nodded. "Yeah , I-it's . Well y'know how long it's been-" he said, his gaze finding solace somewhere in Lara's dark hair, averting her gaze. "Yeah, too long. Ethan was worried you'd freeze , so you'd better get back to civilisation soon.." she said, offering a smile and a hand on his jacketed shoulder. "Thanks , you've both been feeding my ass way too long as it is-I'm not the most stable host." She laughed, as she let her hand slide from his shoulder . "Ethan could out-eat us all so don't worry about that. Just-take care out here" . And as she walked away, he rested his head against the flesh of his palm , the solitude granting him a moment of clarity. One that he could never share . A melody in the corner of his mind. One that he could hum, roughly , in the back of his dry throat . "Yeah , Mason, you're everywhere, and nowhere, buddy. But at least I can live with that. " ---------

I want to try something: Here's a scene based on a prompt to put my character in a graveyard in the snow: Liam's hair , laden with splinters of ice and snow , stuck out from his low slung cap. His words framed the brittle air as he said, the chill unrelenting, "I never meant to return here , I know I - I promised I'd never look back .that I'd keep living with you as some memory on the edge of glory , but the world is round after all right-I ended up back here anyway". He dug his stiffened hands into his jeans, his boot striking a rock as his own murmur haunted him. "Can't stay long , but , I still remember what real sunsets looked like, the way the colors just bled for miles . I hope you haven't seen this magenta sky. I hope you never know it." His acuity , melting in the atmosphere, left him with no other thoughts. "You rest well, and yeah... I still have it. Always. It's on me right now -" He laughed in spite of his raw sense of regret and turned away from the plot , dusting his knuckles across the slot of cremated ashes in a lingering fist bump. "Again, sometime , brother". Falling leaves , swirling in his mind as he was transported to an autumn gone. "Before then, but you knew that already. " an entire moment passed before Liam fumbled a guitar fret from his pocket, a perfect fit between his index finger and thumb. In a swift gesture, he drove in deep into a crack between two bricks in the wall. "I ... still... I . Just . You can't imagine imagine the things... or the times I've wanted to say, Mace could have played you that one while I ruined the lyrics . Still have the rosewood , too. With all of your fingerprints intact. Damned if I had known you'd find me where you did-or when , and yet I wasn't there to-But hell, you'd never let me take it on my own shoulders. And I won't -for you. It's never gonna be-" Without raising his eyes from his fist, his memories hid between his fingers , slipping away as he flexed his palm. "I only hope you can't see me now , with all this hell in my eyes, with the shadows ... I still remember the light in yours ' Cause I keep my promises, and you're still my oldest friend. First , and the last. Don't you forget it. Just.. don't ever forget that." As Liam turned away, trudging along the icy path that winded through the cemetery , it could have been hours. Days. Months. Or just a few seconds. And it could have been anywhere. Grief only changed shape as he confronted the infused December sky, its witness the only one in sight. As Liam slid down onto the curb, only a few miles from where he'd last seen Ethan, he glanced up at the approaching figure. "Hey, Lara , I haven't seen Eth since..maybe three hours ago. " She dropped to his side, grasping his freezing hand in her own. "Liam, it's cold out here , you're like ice...wait, did you visit Mas--" Her eyes , filled with a silent understanding, flitted to his and back to his hand as she placed it into his lap. "We've both been looking for you, Ethan and I -but I'll tell him you're alright? " Liam , his eyes reddened but dried out with the temperature, nodded. "Yeah , I-it's . Well y'know how long it's been-" he said, his gaze finding solace somewhere in Lara's dark hair, averting her gaze. "Yeah, too long. Ethan was worried you'd freeze , so you'd better get back to civilisation soon.." she said, offering a smile and a hand on his jacketed shoulder. "Thanks , you've both been feeding my ass way too long as it is-I'm not the most stable host." She laughed, as she let her hand slide from his shoulder . "Ethan could out-eat us all so don't worry about that. Just-take care out here" . And as she walked away, he rested his head against the flesh of his palm , the solitude granting him a moment of clarity. One that he could never share . A melody in the corner of his mind. One that he could hum, roughly , in the back of his dry throat . "Yeah , Mason, you're everywhere, and nowhere, buddy. But at least I can live with that. " --------- Liam glared into the darkness, the dust in his eyes unforgiving. The melody sank , in a haunting tune, through the night. "Cause there's a place deep inside of me...where me dreams have a hold of me...and soon my soul will start to bleed..-" . Liam's voice broke off as he raked a tremor out through his hair. "I still miss him" , Liam said, an uncertainty of Ryan's ability to hear his musings. "Fuck, Ry...how long have we been lying in this hell hole?" He asked, the silence torn by Ryan's answer , "too long, and yeah I heard you saying something about "if you you play Wonderwall , you'll look like a total tool-" . Ryan smiled , but it never reached his eyes as he added "He really was a brother to you , huh? And don't lie cause I'll know..and then I'll feel bad about giving ya this". As Liam dismissed a tear at the corner of his eye , he reached over to where Ryan lay, holding a piece of paper. "Music? You wrote-music. What is this? " . Ryan, smiling with a broadness that reached his eyes this time spoke to his boots. "Ah, I might have gotten down that song you insist on humming in your damned sleep, I knew it had some meaning although I don't know what ..least I could do for you, Li'."

What's right about this piece

Please highlight the best phrases

What does Ryan do that's poignant

I want to try something: Here's a scene based on a prompt to put my character in a graveyard in the snow: Liam's hair , laden with splinters of ice and snow , stuck out from his low slung cap. His words framed the brittle air as he said, the chill unrelenting, "I never meant to return here , I know I - I promised I'd never look back .that I'd keep living with you as some memory on the edge of glory , but the world is round after all right-I ended up back here anyway". He dug his stiffened hands into his jeans, his boot striking a rock as his own murmur haunted him. "Can't stay long , but , I still remember what real sunsets looked like, the way the colors just bled for miles . I hope you haven't seen this magenta sky. I hope you never know it." His acuity , melting in the atmosphere, left him with no other thoughts. "You rest well, and yeah... I still have it. Always. It's on me right now -" He laughed in spite of his raw sense of regret and turned away from the plot , dusting his knuckles across the slot of cremated ashes in a lingering fist bump. "Again, sometime , brother". Falling leaves , swirling in his mind as he was transported to an autumn gone. "Before then, but you knew that already. " an entire moment passed before Liam fumbled a guitar fret from his pocket, a perfect fit between his index finger and thumb. In a swift gesture, he drove in deep into a crack between two bricks in the wall. "I ... still... I . Just . You can't imagine imagine the things... or the times I've wanted to say, Mace could have played you that one while I ruined the lyrics . Still have the rosewood , too. With all of your fingerprints intact. Damned if I had known you'd find me where you did-or when , and yet I wasn't there to-But hell, you'd never let me take it on my own shoulders. And I won't -for you. It's never gonna be-" Without raising his eyes from his fist, his memories hid between his fingers , slipping away as he flexed his palm. "I only hope you can't see me now , with all this hell in my eyes, with the shadows ... I still remember the light in yours ' Cause I keep my promises, and you're still my oldest friend. First , and the last. Don't you forget it. Just.. don't ever forget that." As Liam turned away, trudging along the icy path that winded through the cemetery , it could have been hours. Days. Months. Or just a few seconds. And it could have been anywhere. Grief only changed shape as he confronted the infused December sky, its witness the only one in sight. As Liam slid down onto the curb, only a few miles from where he'd last seen Ethan, he glanced up at the approaching figure. "Hey, Lara , I haven't seen Eth since..maybe three hours ago. " She dropped to his side, grasping his freezing hand in her own. "Liam, it's cold out here , you're like ice...wait, did you visit Mas--" Her eyes , filled with a silent understanding, flitted to his and back to his hand as she placed it into his lap. "We've both been looking for you, Ethan and I -but I'll tell him you're alright? " Liam , his eyes reddened but dried out with the temperature, nodded. "Yeah , I-it's . Well y'know how long it's been-" he said, his gaze finding solace somewhere in Lara's dark hair, averting her gaze. "Yeah, too long. Ethan was worried you'd freeze , so you'd better get back to civilisation soon.." she said, offering a smile and a hand on his jacketed shoulder. "Thanks , you've both been feeding my ass way too long as it is-I'm not the most stable host." She laughed, as she let her hand slide from his shoulder . "Ethan could out-eat us all so don't worry about that. Just-take care out here" . And as she walked away, he rested his head against the flesh of his palm , the solitude granting him a moment of clarity. One that he could never share . A melody in the corner of his mind. One that he could hum, roughly , in the back of his dry throat . "Yeah , Mason, you're everywhere, and nowhere, buddy. But at least I can live with that. " --------- Liam glared into the darkness, the dust in his eyes unforgiving. The melody sank , in a haunting tune, through the night. "Cause there's a place deep inside of me...where me dreams have a hold of me...and soon my soul will start to bleed..-" . Liam's voice broke off as he raked a tremor out through his hair. "I still miss him" , Liam said, an uncertainty of Ryan's ability to hear his musings. "Fuck, Ry...how long have we been lying in this hell hole?" He asked, the silence torn by Ryan's answer , "too long, and yeah I heard you saying something about "if you you play Wonderwall , you'll look like a total tool-" in your sleep, presumably to someone who could play music. " . Ryan smiled , but it never reached his eyes as he added "He really was a brother to you , huh? And don't lie cause I'll know..and then I'll feel bad about giving ya this". As Liam dismissed a tear at the corner of his eye , he reached over to where Ryan lay, holding a piece of paper. "Music? You wrote-music. What is this? " Liam asked , his eyes adjusting to the dark. Ryan, smiling with a broadness that reached his eyes this time , spoke to his boots. "Ah, I might have gotten down that song you insist on humming in your damned sleep, I knew it had some meaning although I don't know what ..least I could do for you, Li'."

What else does Ryan says that's observant?

So it makes sense that this piece would fit into this broader narrative? Filtered As Valen suctioned his saliva around the cavity of a decaying tooth , draining the marrow of its essence , the sound was distinct. A lingering testament to the sound of unease , the embodiment of reckless abandon. Had he no moral ambiguity, was he grounded in a neutral evil , on a criminal scale he had fabricated with a woven tapestry that only his sanity could have designed. The irreverence spiralled through his knuckles as he flexed them, each crack falling in line with the thud of his uneven gait. "Ah , Liam, you found the darkest place to shine the glint of terror in your eyes. The place where it could shine the brightest, and not one finger did I lift-" His boots, scraping to an unbalanced halt, aligned themselves either side of Liam's ears. As he lay sprawling on the ground, the instinct urging his arms to cradle his bruised ribs, he groaned in response . "You could, if you would enjoy the pleasure , take the entire torch of burning passion , and shove it, blazing and unforgiving, right where no light has ever-" . In a precise moment, sixty seconds and no less, Liam felt his first boot coming unlaced , each tug a whiplash to his ankles, and he smirked . "Ah Valen, silent assault again , huh. but what's to be said to a dead man-who wants to die?" . The tension , only palpable on the surface hairs of Liam's skin, summoned sweat and unease. Elevating his jaw to obtain a level at which he could angle his smirk in a slice of pure , untainted moonlight , he offered "Jist rip the boots off , why kill me soft? When you could make me scream your name?" Valen , with a painstaking timeliness, removed Liam's boot and placed it by his temple. "Oh , we've danced before . I've wined you , dined you. Had you where I wanted you. Not a screamer. But . There's other way's to make a moment last far beyond the fleeting passion of the night. Ways to make a memory burn brighter than a thousand echoes of my name in your fused mouth. " Liam twisted his bound torso in a wretch of unfamiliar discern. His bravado trickled through his protesting veins , fight and fight glands awakening as he let his jaw return to the concrete. "Fear is human, Li' , fear is accessible when you break through the emotions we lie with. But even then, fear is an emotion we all know. What if I can elicit something, deeper? What if , in time , your brain , thrown out into an ocean of fear, choked on the saline of something more sinister?" Liam's grin, as lopsided as ever, his right dimple betraying his amusement in the face of a threat, stayed etch in his cheek. "Oh , show me , captain, how you will steer our ship tonight, as the iceberg melts and we die in a hell frozen over . But tell me , who will die first in this version, Jack, or Rose? How wide is the door going to-" . In an instant , his second boot was by his opposite temple. "Well , maybe it's Rose after all . My feet are overheating in these socks, and besides I know how the story ends . And you know when you cast your locket into that ocean , the one my psyche will drown in, you'll never get it back. Oh , Rose, my heart breaks for you-" Valen's finger traced the hem of Liam's jeans as he undid the buckle , flicking it back against Liam's stretched abdomen and watching his skin react . He whisked the belt away as Liam grunted with the soft force, and Valen explored the curves of Liam's hipbones , lingering a moment too long, but his touch dying away fast enough to sting. In a grinding motion, Liam's teeth captured the heat of his own breath, feeling hands on his calves , as the friction of his denim left a trail of despair. Liam's hands, bound at his sides , clench into fist as Valen's' touch infiltrated his flesh in a crawling , gut wrenching motion, enclosing Liam's lower leg in a chokehold of perverted warmth. Then, his finger travelled up Liam's thigh, drawing forth a shuddered breath that held the deep seated flames of primal , undeniable fear. A threshold of whitewashed oblivion submerged with profound hyper sanity , the sense of realism brushing over the surface of Liam's awareness. "There's a place, I haven't explored . A place I haven't had the pleasure of touring. The many sights , the many terrains, the stunning architecture-". Valen wallowed with deliberate pause, awaiting the quickening of Liam's heartbeat. His hands rested behind Liam's knees, pressed into the pulse points as he gasped , his voice low. "Ah, it grows faster , for me-" Valen's whisper enter the air , cold yet impregnated with an appreciation beyond measure. Liam's flinch as transgression travelled with prominence, through his thighs and he thrust his pelvis into the concrete Valen remained silent. "Well, it wouldn't exactly do you any good to repeat history -I'm still alive and so is Ryan-and Victor-Logan-shall I go on. I'm your greatest failure yet -" . Valen's touch remained unwavering in the darkness , as he called out, his voice devoid of emotion. "Hey Ry', have you severed your binds yet, or is that gag making breathing a little difficult?" . There was a muffled scream , serving as an insidious reply, and Liam felt his eyes slam shut under the influence of horror. "Damnit", he cursed as Valen maintained his silent presence , challenging Liam to ask , as he resisted, his teeth driven shut in anguish, "you don't want to know , huh? " Liam begged his bloodline to slow, if only to thrive his captor of satisfaction in his fear . "Tape recording. You don't have Ryan. " Valen sneered at the estimation . "Ponder that. A tape recording . Is he alive , Liam? Maybe I don't have Ryan... anymore. Or I do. Who can tell. Reality is a tool. " Liam , growling in disbelief , felt the rage build as he said , his voice plated with an insulation . "I'd tell you to go to hell but-we're already in some sick version of it-not that I'll break. I'll never , ever , break. " . The silence deafened him with its persistence, the truth biting at the edges of his mind . "I don't intend to break you Liam, I don't want to see you suffer-I want to feel you descending into that place-that pocket of darkness only you know about-". Liam only laughed in defiance , "oh I reserve that landmark for the blind-" . In a sudden thrash , Liam threw his head back , and Valen groaned at the impact to his skull. "You know that after you , and Ryan , and the other useless fools , none of you have served a purpose to the Vanderine, to the drug's survival , and yet, while it won't serve my purpose to implant you -again-I don't have the strength to resist. Business. And I'm the boss. Another day in my office. Another fine opportunity to play with the clientele." Liam managed a twisted smile , the notion flooring him . "Have you ever ingested it yourself. The Vanderine , what does it feel like, you can't imagine the dreams I've had, the ideas I've been invested with-" Valen's cool trail of voice interlaced with the stagnant air . "Have, in any of these dreamscapes Liam , have you encountered this-" . In a swift movement, Liam's abdomen was against the concrete on a deeper level. "Nah, but you and me , me and you-there's really no end to the scenarios -" Valen, his voice fading an inch into the background, expensed a proposition. "There may be a way to embed the drug, that you're disposable bowels failed at tolerating. " then as Vaken removed the heat of his touch from Liam's pulse points , his blood flow was syringed with a profound chill. Liam shivered , as he said, observing the perverted truth encroaching on his existence "It seems however , that my entire digestive system is a ravaged wasteland , explored to the last inch, every cavity stripped and yet the darkest space is still untouched , pure, unvarnished-." Valen's breath was at his ear as his low voice caressed the silence, a threat in its proximal absence as it crept further away. "And yet, your vocal cords survived the trauma , but, Liam . I don't want to cause you to scream ,only to hear your voice echoing into that mouth... But I wonder if Ryan would care to indulge in the reminder of his mistake-his failure. Would he write a little harder at the sound of your pleas-" Valen said, in a lingering snarl. As Liam fought the urge to retch, wincing , the taunt of the potential voice recording pierced the air , the muffled scream lacing his mind and entangling with his resistance. "I'll need proof before I believe you captured Ryan, I'll need to feel his pulse against mine ...I'll need to feel the reverberation of his cries against my chest -" The air held a disconcerting void in its hands as Valen's unsynchronised gait dragged across the ground. "Will I dangle the carrot until the horse starves out of spite , or will I strip his gag and ask him something that only the present moment has the captivity to answer ?" Liam's stomach, dropping into its seventh circle of condemnation, raged with nausea. "There's nothing you could ask him that isn't predetermined-nothing-" he said, almost with a spit of poised saliva. Liam felt his own fear deceiving him with a deft profanity as he cursed into a whisper, and ground his jaw. Valen taunted , seeming closer to the doorway than a moment earlier. "Oh sweet Ry' , is it a shame that , when you abandoned Liam in the heat of your desperation , that he became my chew toy. Well riddle me this -exactly how long ago was it that you left him?. Tell me the minutes , the hours , the seconds. When you can -" Liam then spat , his tongue enraged with the constraints of his binds "Shit..." Liam lamented, awaiting Ryan's response. There was an engrained anticipation in the air, spiralling in a tight burst of thrilling panic , as Liam's pulse throbbed in his eye sockets, and the veins in his temples ticked against his skin. Then it slithered through the room; Ryan's voice. "Exactly ...one day......eight hours...maybe twenty minutes and...fuck I don't -" . There was a muffled distilling of Ryan's voice, as his gag was reinserted between his teeth. As Valen's hands came down over Liam's pulsing ankles, he flinched. "Ah, your pulse is faster. And harder. But , it's not my intention to break you now is it? You will undo yourself in my embrace Liam -" He lay face down on the pavement to hell, a maze of stones and ever present magenta particles sifting through his vision as he withheld a gasp. "I can't see my damned watch-" Liam muttered. Valen , dismissing Liam's frustration, loomed close and yet far enough away to unsettle the balance of intamacy and isolation. "Now Liam, if you know how long you've been alone, berating yourself for urging him to forget your existence, if you can find the answer within yourself, to the question. Well then, you know if it's all just a tape recorded dream? . Or perhaps ...it's a reality. A truth that Ryan lies bound , and as his mistake , your heart beats on his time, borrowed for you. Be grateful to hear him. Or regret that you will..." Liam's eyes slid closed as his mind was transported to the previous night. Ryan's eyes, swallowed by the insufficiency of the street light, had borne a sharp hesitation as he'd hailed the oncoming traffic. A lone , sleek black Chevrolet, coming to a halt , had been the only traffic on the bare highway of promise married with ultimatum . "I'll go Liam, if this will save you , buy you some time. I mean , it's wrong and I know it , and I don't feel I'm doing you right, but, I owe you." Ryan's gaze rested on a space between the stars as his voice hollowed out, a cool edge welding his plea. "Please don't thank me. Not ever. But ...forgive me . In time I need to know that you'll see what I'm doing as what I have to -for you , and not as some calculated mistake. " Liam , gazing directly into Ryan's peripheral vision, said , without missing a beat. "Ry' , I'm telling you to do this , don't you ever blame yourself for what happens -don't you dare, for one second , frame this in your mind as betrayal-" Ryan then pulled Liam into a hug that burned with regret , their shoulders drawn together with a deliberate force, as Ryan's arm came down over Liam's back. Reciprocating with a firm arm around Ryan's neck, he placed an open palm on the back of his head. "Don't let them strip your humanity , now go-" There was a desperation in Ryan's grip as his his palm searched for extra time in Liam's jacket, his fingers twisting through the fabric. "Damnit, if they break us-I just need you to know; We've seen hell, and there may be no heaven , but there's being alive . cling onto that , Li' ." Liam flashed a lopsided grin, his right dimple enlivening its usual position as he smiled "Well give the bastards hell, Ry, I'll see you on the other side-" As Ryan stalled a second longer he added , "I'd better, and that's a threat." His slate -gray inflection , with an ounce of its coolness heated with urgency , rasped as he released Liam from his embrace and backed away as if he were weighed down with bricks. The passenger door caught in the moonlight as he slid down into the Chevrolet and disappeared. Liam's eyes flew open , and the scorn of his binds jolted him into reality. "So the plan is , to torture me with Ryan's captivity. But, if he were to die , before me , what do you have left. My wife and three kids-" Valen's reply was as audible as a pin dropping, and Liam resisted his own tears as hands rested on his thorax . a finger escalated his ribcage , now a perilous stairway to his primal despair. "Ah Liam, joke of your imaginary life, but do not call the bluff on the only real family you have , his life is-disposable , but fascinating beautiful in the way it could visit that place I cannot , simply by being extinguished. A flame can just-" the snapping of Valen's fingers caused Liam to blink away a tear , his jaw trembling with the tension as he denied his humanity. His empathy simmered behind his eyelids as he watched the insides of them swim with moisture. "I implore you to kill me first-A suicidal cannon will only light up the sky when the wick burns out. If you exterminate my only reason to breathe-what then? Let me go and have a fading trail -or torture his existence with mine?" . The complexity ignited a strange amusement in Valen's response , eliciting a new depth of laughter . "Ah Liam , you are a mental fortress of entertainment, but even the cryptic suggestion that without him you'll be nothing, you've transcended the reason I am tracing your ribcage with an ease. You are yet to contemplate the heart of my intentions. It may take some time -I'll afford you as long as you need Li' . Ryan has -more than enough time to wait for your revelation. To hear its undertones in your screams. " Liam lay in the cling wrap of sweat, not quite daring to let his mind connect the dots that reeled across the concrete , like a constellation of fallen stars . Whether it had become day, or remained night, failed to matter. The magenta haze was all consuming. Everywhere, and he was nowhere. Ryan had been eerily quiet . And his voice was only a plea away from escaping him. "I knew from the start , your true intention......I've always understood the purpose of my life -to kill me -but not to end my misery. To destroy Ryan. Because unlike me-Ryan believes in -humanity. in dignity. He's everything you can't be . Morally good . You have to end me -to truly leave a mark that will sear like a brand . But good luck with that . Because he did make a promise and you can't stop a lawful good from his word-" Valen's clap, a drawn out slap of his palms together , held a faint mockery. "Perhaps that might have been a nice twist to play with. Killing you, to watch Ryan suffer. Or killing him ti destroy you. Perhaps I may play with my food , or throw in complementaries with the service . Keep thinking Liam. What we don't know , can indeed be dangerous. But what we do know, can be a slow burning nightmare. " As the air crept closer , Liam cursed under his breath. His cards flashed their expiry dates as he almost threw his failed royal flush across the table. But all he mustered was a faint "you'll be waiting a while ... maybe I never figure it out..." Valen , laughing at the delight in his own voice , positioned his mouth at Liam's ear. "You will come to a conclusion , and don't tell me about it. I'll feel it in your waters as you drown" Liam's weakened mindset crumbled with dehydration, and malnourishment, as he grappled with a notion that almost set fire to his lungs. "The Vanderine- you've never ingested it. You won't . Implant it in me. But my body won't make it over the border in this condition. Implant Ryan , he can't hold it down as long as me. Kill Ryan , and torture me . kill me and torture him. kill is both and the game ends . But there's only one thing-" . Valen's eyes lit up , pyromania dancing wildly in his pupils, "you're getting warmer, Liam. I think you may already be ... burning. Shall I throw you into the ocean yet or would you like a moment?" Liam's blood , screeching to a halt in his veins, choked as he whispered "You need me-alive-because you don't have anyone else left to hide the drug inside of - you were never trying to preserve it , you need -to display it, showcase its fucking beaut